Belém is a city in the northern part of Brazil. It is the capital and also the biggest city of the state of Pará. Its metropolitan area has approximately 2.09 million inhabitants. It is the entrance gate and, together with Manaus, the most important city in the north of Brazil. It is also known as Metropolis of the Brazilian Amazon region or Cidade das Mangueiras (city of mango trees) due to the number of those trees found in the city. Belém is served by the Val de Cães International Airport (BEL) that connects the city to the rest of the country and other cities in South America. Brazilians often refer to the city as Belém do Pará ("Belém of Pará") rather than just Belém so as to differentiate it from Bethlehem in the West Bank.